


Astraphobia

by devil_tattoo



Category: Mötley Crüe, The Dirt (2019)
Genre: Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic Attacks, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, nikki sixx whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:14:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25062178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devil_tattoo/pseuds/devil_tattoo
Summary: Astraphobia: The extreme fear of thunder and lightning
Relationships: Tommy Lee/Nikki Sixx
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30





	Astraphobia

**Author's Note:**

> Hi I wrote this because I was sad so that's why it's like this. I have honestly no idea what happened the only plan for writing I had was to make it hurt/comfort and this is what I ended up with. Also I have a tumblr now come chat with me @sleaze-dog

Nikki was awoken by a loud crash of thunder that made him yelp involuntarily. He hated storms. Ever since he was a child he had been afraid of thunder and lightning because it made him feel like the sky was coming down on top of him. As an adult, the fear only got worse, sometimes causing him to have panic attacks in the middle of the night, alone. It was nights like this one that made him feel lonely, helpless, like when he was just a young boy crouched in the closet in his grandparent’s house, weeping as thunder shook the house and he feared for his life. 

Nikki’s heart began to pound as rain pummelled the roof and he tried to brace himself for the long night ahead. Light flashed through the window, illuminating the dingy room for a brief second and Nikki’s eyes filled with tears. Only a couple of seconds passed before the next clap of thunder made him jump and pull his pillow to his chest, hugging it tightly. He could tell that it wasn’t far away, and was drawing nearer, meaning it was only going to get louder from there. Wind whirred against the side of the house and the noise chilled Nikki to his core. Irrational thoughts about the house tearing apart filled his head. He logically knew that the storm wouldn’t be that bad, but couldn’t help picture the devastation anyways.

What if he got hurt? What if lightning struck the house and set it on fire? What if Tommy, the person he cared most about who was asleep just one room away, got hurt? What would Vince do if he returned home the next morning to find his bandmates buried in rubble?

Nikki’s heartbeat picked up even more as he began to spiral and tears streamed down his face. Another flash of light had Nikki pulling his blanket tightly over his head, a feeble attempt to block out the crash that followed. This one was louder, closer, and was much more drawn out. As the rolling boom felt like it would never end. Nikki whimpered into his pillow, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

The noise subsided for the moment and Nikki sniffled, anxious and suddenly feeling embarrassed. He was disgusted with his own behaviour even though he was alone. If people could only see big bad Nikki Sixx, certified hell-raiser, reduced to tears and pillow hugging all because of a little storm, they’d hate him. He was a fraud.

As he listened to the rain whip the side of the house, Nikki decided it was time to get over his fear. Anxiety lapped at his gut as he slowly pulled the blanket back to chest level and arranged his pillow under his head. He laid on his back arms at his side. _Okay, Sixx_ , he thought to himself, _it’s time to act like a normal fucking person, it’s just a storm_.

He was tense all over and his fists were clenched as he waited for what felt like forever. Just when he thought it might be over and began to relax, light filled the room for a second and was almost immediately followed by the loudest boom of thunder yet. Caught off guard, Nikki gasped and jumped in shock. He began to shake and felt the terrible, familiar feeling of a panic attack take over his body. Involuntarily, his knees tucked into his chest and his hands came up to cover his ears. He trembled and cried into his knees as waves of panic washed over him, dulling his senses and his ability to think. 

Once the feeling subsided, Nikki was gasping in the air like he hadn’t been breathing. Clearly, he thought, he couldn’t just decide to be over it. He felt pathetic and small, which compounded with the terror of the storm and rendered him inconsolable. He pulled his pillow back against his chest and buried his face in the top of it, trying to dampen the violent sobs that were tearing through him. 

Evidently, it wasn’t working because a few seconds later, Nikki heard a gentle knock at his bedroom door. 

“Nikki?” Tommy’s voice was tired but clearly confused.

Nikki opened his mouth to answer, intending on telling Tommy he was fine and to please go away, but at that moment another flash of lightning illuminated the room and in his hysteria, he called out Tommy’s name desperately. 

Tommy immediately threw the door open, clearly alarmed at the horror in his best friend’s voice. Before Tommy could turn on a light or ask what was wrong, thunder shook the house once more. Nikki whimpered audibly, much to his dismay.

“Oh,” Tommy breathed, “Nik, are you afraid of the storm?”

Nikki’s voice was thick and wet when he answered, “Yeah T, but please don’t make fun of me right now, I can’t take it.” His chest was tight with fear of how Tommy might react to his humiliating secret. His Tommy, his partner in crime, his Terror Twin.

“I would never,” Tommy said seriously, crossing the dark room to where he knew Nikki’s bed was, “Move over.”

“What?” Nikki sniffled.

“I’m not leaving you alone like this,” Tommy’s voice was soft, more gentle than Nikki had ever heard him, which had Nikki obeying without a second thought.

Nikki felt the blanket lift slightly and the bed dip as Tommy slid in next to him. He sensed Tommy’s hands fumbling in the dark for a second before carefully pulling the pillow out of Nikki’s arms and laying it beneath their heads. More lightning allowed Nikki a momentary glimpse of the concerned, almost loving look on Tommy’s face. Strong arms grabbed him around the waist and pulled him tightly against Tommy, chest to chest and his face in the crook of the taller man’s neck. 

Another deafening crack of thunder had Nikki sobbing into Tommy’s warm skin, gasping for air. Tommy had one arm around Nikki’s back, muscles contracting to hold him tightly in place, and he used his free hand on the back of Nikki’s head, petting his hair.

Nikki let Tommy hold him, he was too distraught to worry about his pride. Besides, curled up in Tommy’s warm embrace, Nikki felt much safer and that wasn’t something he wanted to give up because of stupid pride. The noise subsided and Nikki noticed that Tommy was humming a quiet tune as the hand on his back rubbed up and down soothingly. Nikki tried to calm down, taking a few deep breaths. After a few minutes, he managed to slow his breathing, although the tears kept falling, soaking Tommy’s neck and the pillow beneath them.

Nikki’s eyes were shut, so he was caught off guard when Tommy murmured quickly, “There’ll be thunder in a second, just focus on me okay?”

Nikki clutched at Tommy with shaking hands even harder, tangling their legs together and nuzzling his face deeper into the crook of his neck. Thunder crackled above them and Tommy’s humming got louder, now competing with the booming.

Nikki’s breathing sped up a bit, but he did as Tommy said. He concentrated on the tune in his ear, how Tommy’s chestnut hair smelled like shampoo, and the feeling of their bodies pressed together. It was over more quickly this time, and Tommy stopped humming.

“How are you feeling, Nik?” Tommy whispered into the top of his head.

“Better because you’re here,” Nikki sniffled, “Please don’t leave me.”

“Never,” Tommy promised. He kissed the top of Nikki’s head, and Nikki found that he really, really didn’t mind. In fact, the small gesture made his heart swell with affection for Tommy.

“I think it’s done, babe,” Tommy roused him from his thoughts. The rain was slowing down to a gentle patter.

“Thank god,” Nikki was still trembling but made an effort to relax his muscles, melting even closer against Tommy and barely registering the pet name. “Thank you for staying with me T.”

“Don’t mention it,” Tommy continued rubbing his back, “I woke up and I heard you crying... I’ve never known you to cry so I figured it must be something bad.”

“Little did you know I’m afraid of the weather,” Nikki joked weakly, a thin veil for the embarrassment he felt.

He could hear the frown in Tommy’s voice, “It’s okay to be scared of things, Nik. Next time I’ll come sooner.”

Nikki didn’t say anything, thinking about how comforted he felt in Tommy’s arms. His tears had dried up and he was suddenly exhausted. He didn’t want to wait until the next storm to do this again. With the two of them pressed up against each other and sharing such an intimate moment, Nikki realized that what was going on between him and Tommy was more than just friendship. He thought about Tommy kissing his head and decided to take a chance.

He pulled away from Tommy just enough to look him in the eyes.

“I...” Nikki paused, remembering that he’d just spent hours crying, “Oh shit, I must look like a mess.”

Tommy’s hand came up to cup his cheek, “You look incredible, as always,” he breathed.

Nikki leaned in, connecting their lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. Tommy kissed back immediately but carefully like Nikki was a treasure he was afraid to damage.

They pulled away, and Nikki tangled their hands together.

“Stay with me?”

“Forever,” Tommy promised.


End file.
